The Hero Effect
by Pretty-Deku
Summary: (fixed upload) Sometimes all it takes to change the flow of someone's life is to listen, and that's what Izuku Midoriya did. Now his life and the life of Stain and Hero society is changed forever. OR In Which Izuku Midoriya doesn't do the sensible thing, and throw the letter he got from Stain away. Now he has a prison pen pal to add to the list of growing problems he's facing.
1. Chapter 1

The Hero Effect

Izuku looked at the letter in his hand like it was there to personally stab him. He had never really gotten a lot of mail, it was mostly for his mom from his dad but for as long at Izuku could remember it had always been just him, his mom. His dad lived somewhere in the states. Truthfully if it wasn't for the the pictures of him all over the house he wouldn't even know what he looked like. He wished he didn't. the man wanted nothing to do with him, after he found out he was Quirkless and that was fine by Izuku, he wanted nothing to do with him either. It was right after the sports festival that he tired to talk to him, finally believing his wife about their son having a quirk. The second his mother handed him the phone he hung it up. His mom had been pissed but Izuku for once held his ground, he didn't want to talk to the man. Ever.

Looking down at the letter in his hand his name neatly printed across the it, he had at first it was another attempt to contact him. It wasn't his father. It was from Tartarus Correctional Facility. The name Chizome Akaguro. Izuku felt panic, why would Stain be sending him a letter? Not many people knew Stain's real identity, he was the hero killer, and it seemed any attempt to humanize him failed. He was just Stain to the world. He walked back from the post office and gave the rest of the mail to his mom… He kept the letter in his pocket as he headed to his room. This was not how he wanted to start his summer. He sat the letter down and glared at it. He really should throw it away. It was probability just the rantings of a madman. His phone beeped, and he smiled All Might was calling.

"HELLO Young Midoriya! You passed the final exams are you excited for the summer training camp!" Came All Might's bright booming voice from the other end of the phone. Izuku had to hold it away from his hear to keep from going deaf.

"Yeah! I'm really excited all of class 1-A is going to the mall to get the stuff we need for the camping trip… Hey All Might, can I ask you a question?" Izuku asked he was now fiddling with the letter in his hand.

"Of course my boy, you can ask me anything! Something wrong?" He asked him and Izuku marveled at how much more dad like he was than his own father, it made him smile a little.

"I'm not sure, I got a letter in the mail today." He started and then paused to gather his thoughts. "Its from Stain, I haven't opened it yet and I'm not sure I want to. Should I?" He asked he was at a loss for what to do so who better to ask than All Might himself.

"Hmm let me tell you a story my boy. When I first became a hero, a LONG time ago," He was cut off by Izuku telling him he wasn't THAT old, which was promptly ignored by the older man. "I stopped a villain. She had killed a man and I stopped her from escaping. A few months later she wrote me. I will never forget what she told me. The man she had killed was her abusive boyfriend, she had done it in self defense… but still she was in jail and he was dead, there was no changing those facts. No one had listened to her, about WHY she did what she did. She had been put away by ALL MIGHT HIMSELF! She had to be guilty. I wrote her back, I believed her when no one else would. I was just doing my job and by doing so made it hard for people to hear her and her story because She was caught by the symbol of peace himself. I went to her parole hearing and thankfully she's now free. Evidence was found that she acted in self defense, it had been there The whole time but no one looked. You may be wondering just why I'm telling you THIS story, we both know Stain is guilty he tried to kill you and your classmates." There was a long pause and Izuku tried to take in all he was hearing. Some girl got sent to jail because she was caught by All might, not because he was guilty... a pit sat in his stomach, that wasn't right! She didn't deserve that!

"It's called the hero effect. You won't really read about it in class that's for sure. When a popular hero saves someone that person becomes a somewhat celerity, if only for a while. A popular hero stops a villain… that person a lot of times close to 8/10 times, is always convicted, it's hard to have a fair and unbiased trial when your alleged misdeeds are plastered all over the media… Anyways back to the woman, she got out, thankfully and she now runs a bakery, all because I read her letter. I wasn't planning on doing so you know, I thought she was just some crazy killer who wanted to rant and rave at me. So consider this a lesson on being a hero, young Midoriya: Being a hero doesn't stop once the person goes to jail. Sometimes you have to be a hero to the villain as well as the victim. You don't have to read his letter, it just might be his rantings but what if it isn't? I'm not saying he's innocent like the woman from my story, but sometimes it helps to be heard. He will never be set free from prison but maybe he can find some peace." All Might finished. Izuku looked down at the letter in his now shaking hand. He had a lot to think about.

"Thanks All Might, I'll think about it… but I'm just not sure."

"No problem my boy, just think about what I told you."

Dinner had been uneventful, once again his mom had brought up his father and he kept his mouth shut about it. Not wanting to cause an argument between him and his mother. After dinner he worked on his Hero Journals, trying to take his mind off the bright white letter sitting on the desk next to him. He glared at the paper, how dare it ruin his few hours of down time he got. Looking at the clock I was nearly 11 at night. His mother would have already left to work her shift at the hospital that night. Just him and Stain's letter. He picked it up, hesitated a moment and opened it.

It was a single page folded neatly, and for a long moment Izuku didn't want to unfold it, like it would come to life and bite him if he did. He took a deep breath gathered his hero courage and started to read.

Midoriya,

So one of two things will happen with this letter, the asshole guard won't send it, or you will throw it way, both are reasonable and acceptable. If by some chance you are reading this I will consider myself lucky, but I've never been lucky a day in my life so why would this be any different?

There is not much to do here, I guess that's why It is a punishment, but I did see a rerun of the sports festival. At least I they let me do something other than sit here all day and stare at the walls, so imagine my surprise when you appear on the screen, Its nice have a name with the face. That fight with Endeavor's son was hard to watch, if you had done that with me you would have been left completely vulnerable to attack. That was some fast improvement in such a short time, I think I was right, you are truly worthy of being a hero. You probably think I'm going to rant and rave at you don't you? I'm not. I've made my feelings on heroes and this society very clear. So the reason that I'm writing, is simple. It's to wish you luck. I truly hope you become a hero as great a All Might, and I think you might even become greater, either way, I can only hope you can see whats wrong with his world and try your best to fix it. Some one has to.

Chizome Akaguro

P.s. I know this is more than likely in the trash, but I hope that you are all right after that monster attacked you. I don't remember much from that point on.

Izuku read the letter a good 6 or 7 more times and each time he felt the whole range of emotions from fear to pleasant surprise. He didn't know how he felt about a hardened killer knowing his whole name but it wasn't like he was ever leaving prison. He was surprised that the hero killer actually though he was worthy of being a hero, he didn't know if it meant much coming from a killer but it felt kinda nice to have that validation that he had been working hard, that he had grown a lot. He wasn't that helpless child from middle school anymore… If he could get his mother to understand that, things would be a lot smoother at home then maybe… Izuku could tell her what he needed to tell her.

Reading the letter one more time, Izuku decided that overall it was a good letter. Now, to decide if he should mail him back, he had two weeks before summer camp, he would decide before then.


	2. Sacrifices

**3 days earlier**

Stain sat in the small prison cell. It was large enough to hold a small bed, desk, toilet, and a sink. Above the desk was a TV mounted to the wall. It only came on for an hour and a half a day. No one was allowed to leave their cells, so Stain figured that it was their way of keeping the inmates calm. The more behaved you where the longer it stayed on, not that he cared, he never really watched TV to begin with, and growing up his family couldn't afford it.

He ignored it in favor of meditation, but weeks of silence and meditation left him bored. If nothing else he would watch the news, he reasoned with himself as he turned it on. He winced as his ribs protested him lifting his arm up to turn it on. They still hurt, and they hadn't been set, they had left him burned and broken, and for the first few weeks locked in a straitjacket, as if to say they could do anything they wanted to him, and they were right. He could be killed in here and no one would care… He had no family, no friends, only the trail of blood he left in his wake. Stain pushed those thoughts away, those fake hero's got what they deserved and If people wouldn't listen to him then he didn't need them.

He flipped through the channels nothing looked all that interesting, then suddenly it was like he was hit by the force of a truck. The boy he had fought, then saved from that monster. The green hair and feckless was something he would never forget. He was in here because of him, not that he blamed the kid, It was Stain who used the last of his strength to save him. It had been his own choice, but he had seen something in that young man that he had only seen once, and that was the heart of a hero, just like All Might. He couldn't have stopped himself from saving him even if he had wanted to, his body moved on its own… and now he was here.

He watched the fight between the boy- Midoriya Izuku, and Endeavor's son. It was hard to watch, every move Midoriya did, broke a bone. At the same time… He was talking to his opponent trying to get him to be the best that he could be. Stain realized that he had been right, the kid really was a hero, If only because he was willing to lose to help do the right thing. But still, it was a very painful fight to watch, and Stain marveled at just how fast the kid improved between this and their fight.

The TV was now off and it was quiet again. His thoughts too loud to let him rest or meditate so he did the only thing that made sense to him. He wrote the kid a letter. Just his thoughts, and musings, he never really expected it to go anywhere. So when the guard actually took his letter he wondered if he had made a mistake. The guard more than likely threw it away. That was fine, if it ever got to the kid he would throw it away too, that was also fine. He was used to being thrown away.

3 days later

Chizome Akaguro received a letter from a one Midoriya Izuku. He didn't open it right away, he wasn't really sure If he remembered all his ramblings in the first letter. The fact still remained that he had a letter from Midoriya, the first letter had gotten to him… and even If it was just sent to him to tell him to fuck off Stain was glad he got it. Now to make himself open it.

He slowly peeled open the envelop and pulled out the letter. There were at least two pieces of neatly folded paper in it and he wondered if the kid was going to scream at him on both pieces.

Stain

Ok I know that's not your real name but I wasn't sure if you wanted me to call you by your first, last, or your alias, so I went with Stain. I did get your letter, I guess that's why I'm writing you, so maybe your luck has changed. To be honest I really did almost throw it away. I'm kinda glad I didn't-

Stain had to stop reading for a moment and get a hold of his racing thoughts. Not even a whole paragraph in and the kid was already proving he had made a good choice in saving him. He seemed kind and even thought Stain knew he didn't deserve it, it still felt nice. The kid had read the letter he sent and was glad he had. A small smile appeared on Stain's lips and he read on.

I thought this would be the ravings of a mad man, and imagine my surprise that its not, and not only that you called me a hero. This might be dumb but hearing that, made me feel a lot better. All I ever wanted to be was a hero, I wanted to be like All Might, not better than him, because lets be real no one is better. I just wanted to be a hero who saves people with a smile. Growing up I was always told I couldn't be a hero, that I didn't have what it took… I almost believed them. I guess it's just nice to be acknowledged.

I'm not really sure what else to say, but All Might suggested that I get to know you. I'm not sure what to think about that, you did try and kill me and my friends… but at the same time, I wanna know how you came to this conclusion that killing was the only way. The whole media paints you as a monster, but your not. You're a human and I want to know the human side of you, because I really think there is good in everyone. So easy questions what is your favorite color? Favorite food? Any family?

Midoriya Izuku

Stain could only stare at the paper in his hand. The small chuckle he let out almost startled himself. Midoriya was an interesting kid. He liked him, but he hated to break it to him, there wasn't any good left in him. He gave it all up in hopes of changing the world, it was his sacrifice. His soul for the soul of society, and exchange that in the end didn't seem to have done much. Now he was stuck in prison as more innocent people were hurt by the so call hero society. He was once again powerless… But maybe if he could get the kid to understand, get him to see what was wrong then maybe he could find a better way, something better than what he tried to do. Maybe Midoriya would succeed where he failed.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey this website is just ridiculous and how its set up to upload fics feels like its a relic from the 90s.

Anyways here is all 20+ chapters over on AO3 for you guys 3 hope you like it! and as always leave and like/review of you enjoy the fic


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